1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and a method for deploying and recovering inflatable buoys from an underwater platform.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Existing inflatable buoy systems that carry antennae for submarine radio frequency communication are single-use devices. At the end of the transmission cycle, the buoy is severed from the underwater platform, and a relief valve is opened that deflates the buoy and allows it to sink after being collapsed by wave action. Disadvantages to the present buoy system include the expense of jettisoning a buoy for each launch, the long collapse time for the buoy, and the increased possibility of threat detection.